The Wedding Supper of the Lamb
![The Wedding Supper of the Lamb
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© February 22, 2015
www.pastorkennedy.com
• We live on an ultra-sophisticated, but lonely earth, in a galaxy with 100-400 billion star masses the size of our sun.
• The span across the Milky Way is approximately 575,000,000,000,000,000 miles…(I believe the astronomical term “gazillion” comes to mind.)
• Life on the earth is totally unique…
o Within our own solar system,
o Within our Milky Way galaxy and
o Within the universe.
• Many scientists declare the earth to be 4.54 billion years old, or older. If that were the case, if there had been other life forms, those alien cultures would have had plenty of time to leave a small, even minute trail of their existence.
Some well-known scientists believe aliens may have “seeded” life on earth [life’s complexity demands something more than “nothing”] … so who knows how many aliens had to be spending time in our Solar System, if aliens had indeed “seeded” our planet.
• It has taken only 57 years for humans to leave a huge amount of space junk to crowd space’s atmosphere…
o The Soviet Union launched “Sputnik”, the first satellite into space in 1957. President John F. Kennedy, in 1961, gave his inspiring speech motivating Americans to launch a manned mission to the moon. These events initiated the world’s first space race, culminating today with tons of discarded rocket and satellite paraphernalia cluttering orbital paths around the earth. Look up pictures of “space junk” and you will be amazed.
• If we have accumulated so much space junk in such a short period of time what would be the accumulation of hardware, software and frequency clutter (in some discernible medium to our scientists), after 4.54 billion or more years, if other life forms in various stages of intelligence existed throughout our Solar System?
• There has been no observable life discovered – no space junk, no distinct radio waves, nor intelligent or unintelligible communication from any other planet or life form from any time period, ever. Nothing.
o Not only this, but also all other planets or solar masses that astronomers have closely observed reveal extremely hostile environments which would never support human life – nowhere else has a planet been realistically observed to be able to support life, except on our own earth.
• Life may be ultra-sophisticated on our earth, but all life on earth has one thing in common:
o Every living thing on our planet will die at one time or another.
o You and I will die like everyone else who has ever lived on this earth.
• Given the uniqueness of this planet and the rarity of its living inhabitants, how small had been the possibility that you and I would be born to experience a human existence on planet earth?
• How could random chance allow us to be part of such profound, abundant and intelligent life all around us, on this lonely living planet, among the billions of desolate, without oxygen, extremely frozen or burning hot stars in the Milky Way?
o Among the billions or trillions of galaxies in the entire universe?
• If there is a possibility that you and I would be living to experience a human life on this unique living planet…
o Among the billions of stars in our galaxy…
o Among the billions or trillions of galaxies in the entire universe…
• …How great is the possibility that there is life after death?
• Some on our planet say there is no God.
o And no life after death.
• If there is no God, everyone’s intricate, sophisticated and conscious life just “disappears” (in contradiction to the laws of physics - nothing ever just “goes away”) and our body turns to dust.
o If there is no personal Creator God and no life after death, that life has no meaning.
o No one has anything to worry about – good or bad.
o We just die.
• But, if there is a God…
o Well that changes everything, doesn’t it?
• God’s Word, the Bible reveals who our Creator Is and what His expectations are for those who He Created on this living planet.
o Jesus revealed the Personal nature of our Creator God, and He revealed that there is life after death.
• Jesus’ resurrection reveals that we are going back to God when we die, and that we will receive a new dynamic spiritual body in heaven. (1 Cor. 15)
o Jesus revealed that He was God’s sinless Son, sent to die for our sin, so those who accept His Sacrifice for sin, could be eternally reconciled with God our Creator.
• Jesus conquered death and rose again after His total sacrifice for us, and told us He was going to prepare an eternal place for us and bring us to be with Himself!
o There is reason, meaning and purpose for our life!
• Jesus told us that He would take us to live with Him forever!
Jesus also said that there was going to be a Wedding!
A Glorious Wedding of Amazing Proportions
Matthew 8:11
11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven….
Matthew 8:11 is taken from Jesus’ encounter with a Roman Soldier – a non-Jew, Centurion. (The Jews, at that time, considered themselves to be the only people chosen for the best place after death.) Jesus let them know differently.
Matthew 8:5–13
The Faith of a Gentile Roman Centurion
Current Configuration of Soldiers in US Army Operational Units
• Squad – 4-10 soldiers, led by a Staff Sargent
• Platoon – (3-4 Squads), with 16-40 soldiers, led by a Lieutenant
• Company – (3-4 Platoons), with 100-200 soldiers, led by a Captain
The “Centurion” in the Roman Army, in the following narrative, would have a position comparable to a Captain in the US Army.
Matthew 8:5–13
• On entering Capernaum, a centurion came up to Jesus,
• The centurion appealed to Jesus to heal his paralyzed servant
• Jesus told the centurion he would come and heal his servant
• But the centurion countered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
o He told Jesus that he was a man under authority, with soldiers under him
o He gives the command, “Go,” or “Come” and the soldier goes, or comes, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.
o Jesus understood what the centurion was saying. He didn’t need to go to the centurion’s home, Jesus just needed to speak the Word and it would happen.
• Jesus responded to those around Him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
• Then Jesus lets His Jewish crowd know something special about life after death.
o I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
• Jesus then told the centurion, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.”
o And the servant was healed at that very moment.
Luke echoes the theme of many coming from the ends of the earth.
Luke 13:29–30
29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
These verses are in the context of Jesus telling the legalistic Jews – the community where Jesus was born and raised, by letting them know that just because they are a Jew, it doesn’t mean they will be first in the Kingdom of God! In heaven, the Lord will honor those who honor God and have lived a life of faith, Jew or Gentile, not those who are ethnically Jewish. (1 Samuel 2:30; Matt. 10:32-33)
Luke 13:22–30
The Narrow Door
22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
The Superficiality of Religious Legalism, Carnal Self-Importance, and Arrogant Power = these attributes of importance in the World’s Kingdoms, are not elements of value in God’s Kingdom
Luke 14:1–14
Jesus’ Sabbath Luncheon at a Pharisee Ruler’s House
14 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy (see definition below). 3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they could not reply to these things.
“Dropsy” (Edema)
“Edema is often more prominent in the lower legs and feet toward the end of the day as a result of pooling of fluid from the upright position usually maintained during the day. Upon awakening from sleeping, people can have swelling around the eyes referred to as periorbital edema.
Heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, and a kidney disease called nephrotic syndrome are the most common systemic diseases that cause edema.” http://www.medicinenet.com/edema/article.htm
Places of Honor: Our Carnal Desire to Be Important – and to be acknowledged for it
7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Who to invite to a Banquet – the repayment will be at the resurrection of the Just
12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
The King whose Wedding Invitations were Rejected…and those He Invited instead!
[Matthew 22:2
2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son….]
Luke 14:15–24
15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ ”
The Amazing Outcome in Eternity for those who Serve Christ
Luke 22:27–30
27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
28 “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
You Must Be Ready for the Bridegroom
Luke 12:35–37
35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.
The Wedding Supper of the Lamb
Revelation 19:6–10
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Isaiah 25:6–9
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
7 And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations. (see 2 Cor. 3:15)
8 He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Marriage – the Profound Mystery of Christ and the Church
Ephesians 5:22–32
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
The Final Judgment
Revelation 20:12–15
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The Living City of the Bride of Christ
Revelation 21:1–5; 9-11
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
The New Jerusalem
9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
The Redeemed will come from Everywhere on the Globe
Psalm 107:2–3
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
…“Every nation and tribe and language and people.” Revelation 14:6b
A Glorious Wedding of Amazing Proportions
Jesus didn’t just teach that there was going to be an afterlife, Jesus revealed to us that life after death, for those who believed in Him, was going to be awesome! In fact it was going to begin with a Wedding in the most gigantic scale!
Jesus has been planning this event and that which follows, since the creation of the world! He has been bringing those from every tribe and language and people group throughout the ages to be a special part of this historical, eternal event!
Praise is worthy for the Lamb
By Dan and Chris Kennedy
Praise is worthy for the Lamb
The Son of God the great I AM
Since He purchased in His Love
My soul’s redemption
through His Blood
Praise the Lamb for sinners slain
Praise the Son His Bride reclaimed
Praise is worthy for the Lamb
The Son of God, the Great I AM
Holy, Holy angels cry
The Lamb of God was crucified
Glory, Glory hear them sing
The spotless Bride before her King
Glorious clouds transform the sky
God’s trumpet sounds
His Bride will rise
Jesus comes in Majesty
We’ll reign with Him eternally
Praise the Lamb for sinners slain
Praise the Son His Bride reclaimed
Praise is worthy for the Lamb
The Son of God, the Great I AM](The_Wedding_Supper_of_the_Lamb_files/shapeimage_1.png)
